BIOTECHNOLOGY

Background: Preeclampsia is a life-threatening cardiovascular disorder of pregnancy that leads to an increased risk of ongoing cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Much of the pathogenesis and mechanisms involved in cardiac health are unknown. A novel anti-angiogenic protein, FKBPL, is emerging as having a potential role in both preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, in this study we aimed to investigate the role of FKBPL in cardiac health in the rat reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) model and 3D cardiac spheroid model, of preeclampsia.Methods: The RUPP model was induced in pregnant rats and histological analysis performed on the heart, kidneys, liver and placenta (n≥6). Picrosirius red staining was performed to quantify collagen I/III deposition in rat hearts, placentae and livers as an indicator of fibrosis. RT-qPCR was used to determine changes in Fkbpl, Icam1, Vcam1, Flt1 and/or Vegfa mRNA in hearts and/or placentae and ELISA was used to evaluate ca...

Preeclampsia is a multifactorial cardiovascular disorder diagnosed after 20 weeks of gestation, and is the leading cause of death for both mothers and babies in pregnancy. The pathophysiology remains poorly understood due to the variability and unpredictability of disease manifestation when studied in animal models. After preeclampsia, both mothers and offspring have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including myocardial infarction or heart attack and heart failure (HF). Myocardial infarction is an acute myocardial damage that can be treated through reperfusion; however, this therapeutic approach leads to ischemic/reperfusion injury (IRI), often leading to HF. In this review, we compared the current in vivo, in vitro and ex vivo model systems used to study preeclampsia, IRI and HF. Future studies aiming at evaluating CVD in preeclampsia patients could benefit from novel models that better mimic the complex scenario described in this article.